DEAR HELAINE AND JOE: Could you tell me what this is? I would also like to know how old it is and where it came from.
— B.M.
DEAR B.M.: In photos sent, the piece is shown disassembled. There is a small button-shaped component, a tall almost cylindrical bottle and a thin metal rod with one end that flares out slightly. When assembled properly, the metal rod fits into the button-shaped component (which is the top), and then the assemblage goes into the bottle.
The thin metal rod with the flared tip is designed to be a tiny spoon that extracts the bottle's contents in very small doses. So is this a medicine bottle, or a container for holding drugs?
Well, it's kind of both. It is a snuff bottle, and in Mongolia where this originated, snuff was regarded as something of a medicine for headaches, colds and stomach problems.
Tobacco had been introduced into China and Mongolia by the Portuguese, and initially, it was smoked in pipes. By the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (either 1636 or 1644 depending on the source), smoking tobacco was outlawed in China. But powdered tobacco — or snuff — which was sometimes mixed with herbs and spices, was part of the hospitality customs.
During the Qing Dynasty, Mongolia was part of greater China, and snuff was consumed on special occasions such as the Lunar New Year, funerals, weddings and when encountering family or friends who had not been seen for a long time. There is something of a Mongolian ritual involved in using the snuff bottle. The owner holds it in the right hand, with the base of the bottle resting on their pinkie and ring finger and secured by the thumb while touching their right elbow with the left hand.
In this manner, the snuff bottle is passed to the guest, who removes a small portion with the spoon and returns it to the host, who then takes their portion. We understand the ritual can take place in a home, on a street or even in a taxi.
Mongolian snuff bottles can often be identified by coral (or "red stone") and turquoise "jewels" that are scattered around the body. The center portion of the bottle is made generally from materials such as agate, various kinds of jade, horn, silver, lapis lazuli, turquoise, cinnabar, large nut shells, ivory or bone.
Snuff bottles went out of fashion around the end of the Qing Dynasty (1912), but modern reproductions have been made in large quantities. We believe the bottle in today's question is late Qing and probably early 20th century in origin. The center of B.M.'s snuff bottle appears to be ivory panels held in place by silver mounts, but we have our doubts.
We cannot be sure from the photographs we received, but we do not believe the substance is actual ivory. Close examination and our instincts tell us it is bone and probably commercially made. Mongolian snuff bottles tend to be less expensive than their Chinese counterparts. We believe this one should be valued for insurance purposes in the $100 to $150 range.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written books on antiques. Do you have an item you'd like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If you'd like your question to be considered for their column, please include a focused, high-resolution photo of the subject with your inquiry.